Early look · NHL 2026-27

Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals: game preview

OttawaSenators2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 44-27-11 · 99 pts · 9that

WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12th

Puck drop2 Jan · 7:00 PM ET

VenueCapital One Arena

All-time meetings122 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Four points apart last season

Ottawa finished last season 9th in the league on 99 points. Washington finished 12th on 95.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 123

Across 122 completed games, Washington lead the head-to-head 66-44-12.

All-time record66-44-12Washington's record in the series

Meetings played122This is number 123

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Ottawa

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

18 Mar 2026OTT 1 – WSH 4——WSH

1 Jan 2026WSH 3 – OTT 4——OTT

25 Oct 2025OTT 7 – WSH 1——OTT

3 Mar 2025OTT 4 – WSH 5 SO——WSH

30 Jan 2025WSH 4 – OTT 5 OT——OTT

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateOttawaWashington

25 Oct 20254-4-1 · 9 pts21st6-3-0 · 12 pts9th

1 Jan 202619-15-5 · 43 pts20th21-15-5 · 47 pts10th

18 Mar 202634-24-9 · 77 pts14th34-27-8 · 76 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 25 Oct 2025, Ottawa were 21st in the league and Washington 9th. By 18 Mar 2026 it was 14th and 19th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Washington 201 to 163

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Ottawa Senators

201 att · 101 on goal · 12 G · 11.9%

Crease16 att · 5 G

Slot86 att · 5 G

Wing68 att · 1 G

Point25 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Washington Capitals

163 att · 67 on goal · 8 G · 11.9%

Crease11 att · 1 G

Slot56 att · 3 G

Wing64 att · 2 G

Point26 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Ottawa have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

OttawaWashington

2.95xG for per game2.48

3.41xG against per game4.09

46.4%xG share37.7%

+1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.0

+2.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.2

This season: 3 games for Ottawa, 2 for Washington. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Ottawa

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.7%

Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2776.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2675.7% · 29th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.7% · 99/188

Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Washington

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2617.8% · 25th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.1% · 14th

Faceoffs · 2026-2746.4% · 51/110

Drawn · 2026-274 (2.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Ottawa

Expected starter after their game on 31 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Washington

Expected starter after their game on 31 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Dec

Linus Ullmark.9492 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +3.4

Samuel Ersson.8862 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.9

No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.

Washington crease

WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Dec

Charlie Lindgren.9311 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +1.4

Logan Thompson.9391 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

18 Mar 20265 · OTT 1–4 WSH

1 Jan 20267 · WSH 3–4 OTT

25 Oct 20258 · OTT 7–1 WSH

3 Mar 20259 · OTT 4–5 WSH

30 Jan 20259 · WSH 4–5 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Ottawa3.332.673.393.00

Washington3.002.503.212.98

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings7.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Washington · injuries

Matt RoyLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn7 Oct

Patrick ThomasUpper BodyIRReturn24 Oct

Rasmus SandinKneeIRReturn26 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · OTT

Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.

5 Oct · OTT

Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.

2 Oct · OTT

Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (AHL).

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.

26 Sep · WSH

Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).

Injury report

Ottawa · 2026 draft

See all: Ottawa · 2026 draft →

#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW

#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW

#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW

#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C

Full draft

Washington · 2026 draft

See all: Washington · 2026 draft →

#18Oliver SuvantoRound 1 · TapparaC

#101Tyus SparksRound 4 · SpokaneC

#144Brian McFaddenRound 5 · Thayer AcademyD

#208Logan StuartRound 7 · Usa U-18C

Full draft

Saturday 2 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 2 January · the full slate →

WSHThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals: game preview

Four points apart last season

Meeting number 123

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Ottawa out-attempted Washington 201 to 163

Ottawa Senators

Washington Capitals

Ottawa have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Ottawa

Washington

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Ottawa crease

Washington crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Ottawa · injuries

Washington · injuries

Latest moves

Ottawa · 2026 draft

Washington · 2026 draft

Saturday 2 January · the full slate